Stories from Saturday, April 5, 2014

On Tuesday, April 8, 2013, a number of local races will come to a head during the municipal election. If voters haven't already done so, now is the time to make the decision on which candidates they prefer. Voters in a number of races across the county will find themselves having to choose between incumbents and new contenders. Contested races are coming up for the Dexter School Board, Bloomfield Board of Aldermen and for mayor of Bernie in the April election...

Dexter Fire Chief Don Seymore (at right) directs firefighters Allen Malloy and Justin McCollough at a house trailer fire Friday morning at 25 Clements Street. Firemen were summoned to the scene at 7:33 a.m. after a neighbor witnessed smoke coming from the south end of the trailer and awakened its resident, Tim Swinney. Swinney escaped without injury. The trailer was determined to be a total loss. An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway, Seymore said...

Eight-year-old Emma Kate Worley of Dexter will once again be hosting her Auntie M Project in April to benefit the Stoddard County Relay for Life event. Since 2009, Emma Kate's focus has been on raising money to fight cancer. The Auntie M Project came about following the death of her aunt, Marilyn Williams, who was a successful businesswoman in the area and who served as the former Missouri State Representative from Dudley. ...

Like every first time mother, Shelby Campbell anticipated her baby's first laugh, first steps, first words. But she realized soon after the birth of her son, Carson, that many of those milestones would be late in coming -- and some may never occur. The young mother's pregnancy was normal. "There was nothing unusual," she explains. "But when he was born in July 2013, he had double pneumonia and he could not cry out loud."...

The 2014 SCAA all-conference awards have been released for varsity boys basketball. Advance guard Lane Below has been selected as the SCAA Player of the Year. Below averaged 27.3 points and 5.2 assists per game his senior season. Bernie senior guard B.J. Jennings has been selected as the Defensive Player of the Year...